Department for Transport

Driving under Influence

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many deaths in the United Kingdom have resulted from drink driving in each year since 2010.

Baroness Kramer: The Department for Transport only holds information on reported personal-injury accidents on public roads (including footways) in Great Britain, which became known to the police. The table below gives the number of deaths in Great Britain in accidents involving at least one driver with illegal blood alcohol content in each year since 2010. Year95% Cl lower2Number of deaths195% Cl upper2201022024026020112202402502012210230250201332302602901. Estimates are rounded to the nearest ten.2. Upper and lower range for fatalities based on the 95% confidence interval3. Figures for 2013 are provisional These figures are produced from breath tests carried out by the police following accidents and information from coroners in England and Wales and procurators fiscal in Scotland about drivers who died in accidents. Due to complexity of the information from post-mortems and accidents where at least one driver did not stop, there is a considerable uncertainty about precisely which accidents involved drivers who were over the drink drive limit. As a result, the number of deaths is an estimate and the exact figure is unknown. The figures in the table provide the best estimate of deaths and the upper and lower confidence interval represent the range in which we are 95% confident the exact figure falls. Years with overlapping confidence intervals do not have statistically significant differences in the number of deaths. Therefore the number of deaths has been broadly the same each year from 2010 onwards. The figures for 2013 are provisional estimates. Final figures for 2013 will be released in August 2015 alongside a first estimate for 2014.

Leader of the House of Lords

Written Questions

Lord Jopling: To ask the Leader of the House what discussions she has had with HM Treasury in the light of 12 of the 15 Written Questions awaiting answer on 11 March for more than the target 10 working days being to HM Treasury.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: I take very seriously my responsibility as Leader of the House to encourage Ministers to be punctual in answering written questions. My office immediately approach departments who have not responded to questions after 10 working days, and remain in contact with them until the questions are answered. This process was followed with HM Treasury for the 12 questions that remained unanswered after 10 working days on 11 March. All of those questions have now been answered. At the end of this Session I will publish data on each department’s promptness in dealing with Questions for Written Answer to allow for proper scrutiny of their performance.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask the Leader of the House what guidance she issues to Departments in respect of their providing full answers to questions for written answer, particularly when failure to answer has been followed up.

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their policy is that all Parliamentary Written Questions should be answered in full in all parts.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: As Leader of the House, I have a particular responsibility to encourage departments to be punctual in answering written questions, but the content of each answer is a matter for the minister concerned. All Ministers are accountable to the House for those answers. That direct accountability is important: that is why Ministers in this House must provide personally signed answers to members. To inform Ministers in answering questions put to them, the Ministerial Code says that “It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament”. It also makes clear that “Ministers should be as open as possible with Parliament and the public, refusing to provide information only when disclosure would not be in the public interest”. In addition, the longstanding rules of this House on Questions for Written Answer (rules that the House reaffirmed in agreeing to the Procedure Committee’s 5th Report of the 2014-15 Session) set out that all answers should be complete and comprehensible. If any member has particular concerns about a response that they have received that they consider does not adhere to these rules, I would encourage them to raise it with me directly.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Poland

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Poland on behalf of British citizens with claims concerning restitution of property seized during (1) the Nazi, and (2) the Communist, eras.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government attaches great importance to supporting the families affected by the Holocaust – including in respect of property restitution and implementation of international declarations. The Government has raised issues relating to Polish law in the area of property restitution with the Polish authorities on a number of occasions including at Ministerial level, by the UK’s Special Envoy on Post-Holocaust issues, Sir Andrew Burns, and by our Embassy in Warsaw. The issue of property restitution was last raised with the Polish government in November 2014 during a visit to Poland by the noble Lord Ahmad. We share the hopes of international partners that the government in Poland will revive legislation as soon as possible, and we will continue to encourage them to do so.We welcome the legislation passed in Poland in March 2014 that is intended to make the longstanding Polish benefit for war veterans and victims of oppression more accessible to eligible veterans and victims living abroad, including Holocaust survivors. Poland’s legal system already allows for claims relating to property seized during the Communist era to be pursued in their civil court.

Ukraine

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contingency plans they have to evacuate United Kingdom nationals from Ukraine; and when any such plans were last updated.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Our Embassy in Kyiv has a Crisis Management Plan in place to support the possible evacuation of British nationals from Ukraine. The plan was most recently updated on 30 May 2014.

Russia

Lord Temple-Morris: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will list the sanctions in which the United Kingdom is participating against Russia in connection with events in Ukraine.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK supports and fully participates in the EU sanctions imposed on Russia for its actions in destabilising eastern Ukraine and illegally annexing Crimea. These measures include listing individuals and entities for travel bans and asset freezes, as well as economic measures such as an arms embargo, capital market restrictions for certain Russian state-owned companies, restrictions on exporting energy technology to Russia and specific bans on investment, tourism services, importing and exporting goods to and from Crimea. A full list of EU sanctions measures can be found on the EU website at: http://europa.eu/newsroom/highlights/special-coverage/eu_sanctions/index_en.htm. A copy of the current EU sanctions is attached.



EU Sanctions
(Word Document, 19.21 KB)

Russia

Lord Temple-Morris: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the cost to the United Kingdom of participation in European Union and other sanctions against Russia in connection with events in Ukraine, both in relation to loss of direct trade and also through Russian reciprocal actions.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: EU sanctions imposed on Russia have been designed to maximise the impact on Russia whilst minimising the impact on the UK and EU. We accept that there will be a cost to our economies both from EU sanctions and Russian retaliatory measures, and have been clear that it should be shared equally across the EU, but there is a much greater cost involved in failing to stand up to Russia’s destabilising and illegal aggression.

Syria

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they and their allies will take action to prevent the use of barrel bombs, in particular against civilians, by the Assad administration in Syria.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are appalled by the Assad regime's indiscriminate use of weapons against the Syrian people. Through the UN, EU and other multilateral fora we have called for an end to these indiscriminate attacks, for a robust response to these violations of international law and for those responsible to be held to account.

NATO

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which of the 28 member states of the European Union are not members of NATO; and whether they intend to encourage those member states to join NATO.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: There are 6 Member States of the European Union who are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO): Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Malta and Sweden. Of these, all except Cyprus are official NATO Partners, cooperating both through NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the Partnership for Peace programme.The UK is committed to NATO’s Open Door policy, as enshrined in Article 10 of the Washington Treaty, which provides that any European state in a position to further the principles of the treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area may apply to join NATO. It is for individual States to consider whether they wish to apply for NATO membership, taking into account their own defence and security considerations.

Lord's Resistance Army

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in bringing Joseph Kony and the leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army to justice.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK has consistently promoted a co-ordinated international approach to defeating the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and continues to be active in leading this work in the UN Security Council. The African Union’s Regional Task Force continues to play a key role in tackling the LRA threat on the ground. The LRA has been weakened, but remains a threat. It numbers approximately 250 fighters who are scattered between the Central African Republic, the Sudans and the Democratic Republic of Congo. A notable recent success was the capture in January of Dominic Ongwen, allegedly a senior commander in the LRA. Mr Ongwen has been transferred to the International Criminal Court to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo about the reported imprisonment of members of the Congolese opposition (including parliamentarians), disappearance of human rights activists, harassment of United Nations officials, and killing of journalists there; and what response they have received.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I refer the noble Lord to my answer of 23 February to the noble Lord Chidgey (HL4967). Officials continue to raise the ongoing detention of protestors with senior members of the Congolese government.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo about the imprisonment of the Congolese opposition leaders Vano Kiboko, Jean-Bertrand Ewanga and Diomi Ndongala; and what response they have received.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I refer the noble Lord to my answer of 23 February to the noble Lord Chidgey (HL4967). Officials continue to raise the ongoing detention of protestors with senior members of the Congolese government.

Ukraine

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 9 March (HL5328) concerning the supply of 75 armoured vehicles to Ukraine, for what purpose other than military action those vehicles could be used.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Saxon is a lightly armoured personnel carrier (APC). The information we have received from the Ukraine Ministry of Defence states that the APCs will be used by two battalions operating in the Anti-Terrorist Operation area (ATO), and by airmobile units for reconnaissance and general patrolling. We are aware that the Ukrainians are also considering converting some of the APCs for use as “Medevac vehicles.”

EU Defence Policy

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the comment by German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen in an interview with Deutschlandfunk that a European army is "the future"; and what is their assessment of the impact of that comment, together with those by other German leaders and the President of the European Commission, on the credibility of NATO.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have always been clear that defence is a national, not an EU, responsibility and that there is no prospect of that position changing and therefore no prospect of a European army. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), made clear NATO’s primacy in European Defence at the December 2013 European Council and we will continue to underline this with EU Partners and Institutions as we look towards the June European Council stocktake on CSDP. NATO is the bedrock of the UK’s defence and a leading instrument of our national security. The NATO Summit in Wales showed that the Alliance is strong and united, reaffirming the centrality of NATO to European and global security.

Nigeria

The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the prospects for a free and fair Presidential election in Nigeria in 2015, and (2) progress made by the Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission towards minimising the possibility of electoral fraud.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government is closely following developments ahead of Nigeria’s presidential and gubernatorial elections on 28 March and 11 April respectively. This vote will set Nigeria’s course for the next five years and beyond and as Africa’s largest democracy its impact will be felt well beyond its borders. It is vital the elections go ahead without any further delay on 28 March. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), said on 8 February, the Nigerian people have the right to credible, peaceful and transparent elections. The UK welcomes efforts undertaken to date to this end, including the 14 January ‘Abuja Accord’ in which political leaders committed to preventing violence before, during and after the elections. We encourage all parties to respect the result of the vote and to pursue any grievances through the proper channels. We continue to support Nigeria’s Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to deliver the elections. Over 80% of Permanent Voter Cards have now been collected and field tests of the card readers were broadly successful. This is testament to the positive advances that INEC have made, under the leadership of Professor Jega, to enable the successful delivery of the elections.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning its recent demolition of a European Union-funded shelter for displaced people on Mount Scopus, in north-east Jerusalem.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, but have been monitoring developments and are concerned. The Jerusalem municipality has said it demolished the structure because it was constructed on land which had been designated for a national park. We had previously lobbied against the land being redesignated in this manner.

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have has made to the government of Israel concerning deaths and injuries in Gaza since August 2014 from explosive remnants of war (ERW); and what plans the international community has to deal with ERW.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of the UN Mine Action Service’s reporting that since the ceasefire on 26 August 2014, 46 people have been reported injured and 10 killed as a consequence of explosive remnants of war (ERW). The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is a crucial service provider to the Gazan population. More than 1,000 UNRWA teachers across the Gaza Strip have been trained to educate students about the dangers of ERW. While we have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities, it is important to note that UK support is helping UNRWA to conduct its work on ERW. The UK is the third biggest donor to UNRWA’s General Fund, contributing £107 million between 2011 and 2015.

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have held with the government of Israel concerning the Palestinian children killed by live ammunition in 2014; and how many of the soldiers responsible have been charged.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We regularly raise the issue of excessive use of force with the Israeli government and security figures. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised his concern over the high number of Palestinian civilian fatalities, including of children, with the Israeli Attorney General (AG) on 19 January. He said the UK wanted to see rigorous investigations into these incidents. Israeli authorities have told us that self-defence and a more challenging security environment were part of the explanation for the increase in fatalities. A number of investigations are pending. We are aware of one case - the Betunia case in which two Palestinian teenagers were shot on 15 May – in which the AG’s investigation had led to the prosecution of those responsible. We continue to monitor developments in this and other cases.

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Israeli Peace Initiative; and what action, if any, they will take to promote it.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of the Israeli Peace Initiative and support the idea of a greater role for regional players in a renewed peace process. We welcome the important role civil society has in generating ideas for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Israel's nuclear submarine capability.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: In accordance with longstanding convention followed by successive governments, we are not in a position to comment on the detail of intelligence matters.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what encouragement they will give to Israel to become a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have consistently called on Israel to join the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear state and to agree a full scope Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Our objective is to achieve a Middle East free from Weapons of Mass Destruction, but realistically this will only be possible when political solutions have been found to the tensions in the region.

Pakistan

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the freedom and safety of Christians to practise their religion in Pakistan; and when they next intend to raise this issue with the government of Pakistan.

Lord Allen of Kensington: We remain deeply concerned by the violent persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan. On 15 March the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), joined our High Commissioner in Islamabad, in condemning the most recent attack on Christians in Lahore. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed Pakistan’s misuse of the blasphemy laws with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in November 2014. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office monitors religious freedom in Pakistan in its annual Human Rights report, published last week. We continue to urge the government of Pakistan to protect the human rights of all its citizens as laid down in the Constitution and in accordance with international standards.

Pakistan

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they give to United Kingdom citizens intending to visit Pakistan concerning freedom of worship, and whether it is safe to visit places of worship in Pakistan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel Advice is comprehensive and is regularly updated. This advice includes: “There is a high threat from terrorism, kidnap and sectarian violence throughout Pakistan. In the aftermath of an attack on a school in Peshawar in December 2014, there is a heightened threat of terrorist attacks, and kidnapping against western nationals in Pakistan. You should be particularly vigilant at this time and take appropriate security precautions. Security forces in Pakistan remain on high alert following recent attacks.....Be vigilant, keep a low profile and vary your routes and timings if you make any regular journeys. Public places and public gatherings are often targeted, including courts and government buildings, hotels, airports, markets, shopping malls, restaurants, educational institutions and religious shrines”.

Tajikistan

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of relations between the United Kingdom and Tajikistan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We value our relationship with Tajikistan and welcome the strengthening of ties between our two countries created by recent high level exchanges, including the visit last July by Tajik Foreign Minister, Sirojiddin Aslov.Our priorities for Tajikistan remain promoting good governance and regional stability, and we continue to raise our concerns on human rights and the rule of law at every appropriate opportunity.

Palestinians

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the refusal to allow delegations of British parliamentarians to enter Gaza from Israel since 2009; whether similar requests for entry via Egypt were refused in 2014; and what representations they have made for access in such situations.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We do not hold the details of delegations of British parliamentarians that have been refused permission to enter Gaza from Israel since 2009. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all travel to Gaza. We therefore do not make representations on behalf of parliamentarians wishing to do so. Our Embassy in Cairo forwarded a request to the Egyptian authorities for a British aid convoy to access Gaza via the Rafah crossing in 2014, after Egypt changed its policy to only considering applications requested by embassy note verbale. The convoy included one or two parliamentarians. The FCO made clear to the organisers that the visit was at their own risk. The Egyptian authorities agreed access for a reduced version of the convoy, but this was shortly before the Rafah crossing was closed indefinitely in October. We understand the convoy did not therefore gain access.

Middle East

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 13 March (HL5374), what steps they are taking to alert Gazan citizens of the need to vacate the area where Hamas are rebuilding tunnels close to the border with Israel.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have no plans to alert Gazan citizens of the need to vacate areas where Hamas are rebuilding tunnels. It would be the role of the de facto government in Gaza or the Government of Israel to give a warning if the civilian population were under threat from any military action. International Humanitarian Law requires warring parties to give ‘effective advance warning’ of attacks that may affect civilian populations.We stress the importance of protecting the civilian population in accordance with international law with the Government of Israel and we have asked all those with influence to stress the same point to Hamas.

Attorney General

Terrorism: Prosecutions

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Attorney General will ask HM Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service to carry out an inquiry into the decision not to prosecute for the Arndale Centre plot, and invite him to publish his findings.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The Attorney General has no plans to ask HM Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service to carry out an inquiry into the decision not to prosecute for the Arndale Centre plot. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) concluded that there was insufficient evidence that was admissible in a criminal court in this jurisdiction to afford a realistic prospect of conviction. The Attorney General has no reason to doubt the CPS’s conclusion.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Gripen Aircraft: Brazil

Lord Temple-Morris: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what requests for export licences they have received in respect of United Kingdom technology for Gripen aircraft being sold to or built in Brazil.

Lord Livingston of Parkhead: We have granted two licences for export to Sweden of components for Gripen where Brazil was identified as one of the ultimate end-users.

Overseas Trade: Iceland

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the United Kingdom has (1) separate trade agreements with Iceland, or (2) trade agreements with Iceland negotiated by the European Union.

Lord Livingston of Parkhead: The United Kingdom does not have its own separate trade agreements with Iceland. UK trade relations with Iceland are governed mainly by the 1972 bilateral Free Trade Agreement between Iceland and the EEC, and the agreement on the European Economic Area which entered into force in January 1994. .

Department for Education

Schools

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new (1) state primary, and (2) state secondary, schools were established in England during each of the years from 1997 to 2014 inclusive, excluding schools converting to academy status.

Lord Nash: The table below provides the numbers of new state primary and secondary schools between 2010 and 2014. This includes new free schools and new academies but does not include maintained schools that converted to academy status.   Prior to 2010 the records did not capture the information in a way which would allow us to respond fully to the Rt Hon Lady’s question. For example, before 2010 the records made no distinction between genuine new provision and mergers or amalgamations of existing schools.   YearPrimarySecondary2010532011238201231372013466220144763Total152173

GCSE

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the finding by the Open Public Services Network that pupils in some parts of England are not offered certain GCSEs, and the impact that this may have on their job prospects.

Lord Nash: As a result of our education reforms thousands more pupils are taking the core academic GCSEs. We want all young people to have access to these rigorous subjects regardless of where they live. Recent GCSE performance tables showed that 90,000 more pupils took the challenging EBacc compared to 2010, an increase of 71% in four years. These are the core subjects most valued by employers and universities.   From 2016, we are replacing the existing 5 A*-C including English and mathematics headline secondary accountability measure with Progress 8. Focusing on performance across eight qualifications rather than five will incentivise schools to offer a broad and balanced curriculum, and ensure that the progress made by pupils is fully recognised.

Asylum: Education

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of education received by children of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

Lord Nash: Education is a devolved matter. The Department for Education has not made any assessment of the level of education received by children of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. Parents of children of compulsory school age have a duty to ensure their children receive a full time education suitable to the children’s age, ability, aptitude and any special education need the children might have, either by regular attendance at a school or otherwise. Where a child of compulsory school age (including children of asylum seekers) is not registered at a school or receiving an education other than at a school, the relevant local authority has the power to require that parent to satisfy them as to the suitability of the education being provided for that child. If they are not satisfied then the local authority can require the child to register at a named school. It is the fundamental responsibility of every school to educate its pupils regardless of their background so that they can achieve their full potential. Our funding system gives local authorities the freedom to allocate extra funds to schools to support pupils whose first language is not English, including children of asylum seekers.

Academies

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who owns any profits accrued from academy schools and chains investing their cash reserves.

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the cash reserves held by academy schools and chains can be used for non-educational purposes.

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how parents of children attending academy schools can access details of any cash reserves being held by the school.

Lord Nash: Single academies and multi-academy chains retain any surplus they make within the legal entity of the academy trust. Under charity law academy trustees must act in the best interests of the trust and ensure all funds are properly managed and applied to the trust’s charitable objects.   Academy trusts must use all of their assets, including their cash reserves, in accordance with their charitable objects as set out in their articles of association. This includes the advancement of education and provision of recreation facilities.   Cash reserves are disclosed in academy trusts’ annual accounts which EFA requires trusts to publish on their websites. These accounts are also published by the Department on its school performance tables webpage and are filed at Companies House.

Department for Work and Pensions

Occupational Pensions

Lord Stevens of Ludgate: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they or the Pensions Regulator have received about the operation of the Pensions Regulator internet portal for the registration of contacts for the automatic enrolment of employees into workplace pensions, in particular in relation to problems with the login details supplied to employers; and what steps they plan to take to rectify any such problems to enable employers to meet the 1 April deadline for registration.

Lord Freud: The Pensions Regulator has received feedback from some small and micro businesses about the operation of the internet portal for automatic enrolment contact detail registration, known as the "nominate a contact" webpage. This feedback suggests that some users are not very familiar with their PAYE reference. The letters currently sent to customers from the Regulator protects customer data by masking the first 3 digits of their PAYE reference with asterisks and some customers are trying to enter the asterisks as part of their PAYE reference which is generating an error message. The Regulator is fully aware of the issue. To address it, they are updating the website to clarify exactly what to enter and including the full PAYE reference on relevant letters in future so employers have all the details they need in front of them when prompted by the letter to visit the automatic enrolment contact nomination webpage.

Mesothelioma

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of the expected deaths from mesothelioma over the next 25 years.

Lord Freud: Based on the latest projections of annual mesothelioma deaths by the Health and Safety Executive, the best estimate is that there will be around 53,000 mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain over the 25-year period 2013-2037. The statistical model used suggests an uncertainty range of 49,000 to 58,000 deaths on that estimate. However, the true uncertainty range may be wider as longer-range predictions are reliant on assumptions about asbestos exposures that cannot currently be fully validated.

Social Security Benefits

Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Supreme Court judgment of 1 March regarding the benefits cap.

Lord Freud: We welcome the Supreme Court ruling that the benefit cap is lawful. The Court decided that the benefit cap does not breach the European Convention on Human rights and does not unlawfully discriminate against lone parents.

Home Office

Use of Immigration Detention Inquiry

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to implement the recommendations of the Report of the Inquiry into the Use of Immigration Detention in the United Kingdom.

Lord Bates: We will issue a response to the All Party Parliamentary Group’s report of their Inquiry into the Use of Immigration Detention and will ask Stephen Shaw to consider any aspects of the Inquiry’s report that fall within the terms of reference for his independent review of the welfare of those held in immigration detention.

Asylum: Finance

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the cost was of assessing applications under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in each of the last three years.

Lord Bates: We are unable to disaggregate the cost of assessing Section 4 applications from the cost of asylum casework generally without incurring disproportionate costs.

Immigration

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for (1) entry, and (2) asylum, the United Kingdom has granted on grounds of religious persecution in each of the last five years.

Lord Bates: There is no visa route available to apply to enter the UK on grounds of religious persecution, so no UK visas have been issued on these grounds. It is not possible to provide information regarding the number of people who have claimed asylum on the grounds of religious persecution, as information on the basis of a claim for asylum is not readily accessible.The information requested in the noble Lord's question could only be obtained through a manual search of individual case files, which would only be achievable at a disproportionate cost.

Mediterranean Sea

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many vessels, aircraft and drones are available for Operation Triton; and what assessment they have made of their adequacy to cope with current flows of migrants.

Lord Bates: Frontex has recently reported that the technical resources provided by the Member States to Operation Triton include: 2 Fixed Wing Aircraft, 1 Helicopter, 2 Open Shore Patrol Vessels, 6 Coastal Patrol Vessels and 1 Coast Patrol Boat. We understand that this provision of technical resource fully meets the request made to Frontex for assistance by Italy, the host state of this Operation.To date, Operation Triton has intercepted thousands of migrants in the Central Mediterranean, both directly and through cooperation with Italy’s national search and rescue efforts, bringing those intercepted safely to the EU. While the UK is not able to join Frontex, we continue to support Operation Triton through the deployment of UK experts. To date we have met all Frontex requests, and made clear our willingness to consider any further requests for support of this kind. The recent deaths in the Mediterranean are a further tragic reminder of the great risks migrants take when they attempt the perilous journey to reach Europe across the Mediterranean. Like our counterparts across the European Union, the UK wishes to find the best way to prevent tragedies of this kind. Unfortunately, in the open sea, no amount of vessels and surveillance can ensure a safe passage.

Mediterranean Sea

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to discuss with UNICEF the content of its recent statement on the risks to children who attempt to cross the Mediterranean in order to reach Europe.

Lord Bates: The Government is determined to do all it can with international partners, including UN agencies, to reduce the flow of illegal migrants attempting these perilous crossings and to combat the organised criminals who are making huge profits by exploiting vulnerable people. The presence of children on these voyages is a matter of particular concern.We are taking action at a national and international level to find sustainable solutions, for example through regional protection initiatives and the new Khartoum Process, a joint EU and African Union initiative supporting dialogue and concrete cooperation to tackle people smuggling and human trafficking in the Horn of Africa, including measures to address the abuse and exploitation of children and other vulnerable migrants. The Government also welcomes joint EU efforts to provide concrete support to Italy to assist that country in meeting its responsibilities towards those arriving on its shores, and the EU’s intention to enhance efforts to address the root causes of the situation under its forthcoming European Agenda on Migration.

Entry Clearances: Married People

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to announce the result of their reconsideration of the application of Mrs Kiran to join her husband in the United Kingdom as directed by Judge Ford of the First-Tier Tribunal in Birmingham on 5 January under Appeal Number OA/05588/2014.

Lord Bates: It is not the policy of the Home Office to comment on the detail of individual applications. However I can confirm that the instructions of the court in this case are being implemented.

Asylum: LGBT People

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps have been taken to ensure that the new Home Office guidance issued in February, Asylum Policy Instruction: Sexual identity issues in the asylum claim, is implemented by all government representatives.

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps have been taken to improve training to Home Office civil servants on LGBTI asylum issues, particularly so that stereotyping does not appear in interview questions, following the report of the investigation by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, John Vine, into the Home Office’s handling of asylum claims made on the grounds of sexual orientation, published in October 2014.

Lord Bates: Following publication of the Home Office guidance, a communication was sent to all relevant parts of the Home Office alerting them to it and advising them of its main issues. Subsequently, a communication was issued to the main caseworking areas offering them awareness raising sessions with policy officials to support their understanding of the guidance. Sessions took place in the immigration office at Becket House on 19 March and further sessions are planned around the country in April. Sessions also took place in Harmondsworth and Yarl’s Wood in advance of the publication of the guidance. In light of the new instruction, and following the report of the investigation by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, John Vine, into the Home Office’s handling of asylum claims made on the grounds of sexual orientation, an internal review of training needs and training materials will be conducted during April and May. Within the existing 5-week mandatory Foundation Training Programme for all new asylum decision makers, a 1-day module provides skills on handling asylum applications submitted on the grounds of sexual orientation. This helps trainees to interview people sensitively and effectively, identify effective and ineffective questions, use country of origin information effectively, make fair and defensible decisions and identify what may constitute persecution in sexual orientation claims. It is designed to enable decision makers to make well informed and legally sound decisions. This course was designed and first rolled out to asylum decision makers in 2011 and has continued to be updated in line with policy changes.

Asylum: LGBT People

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps have been taken to ensure that statistical data concerning asylum claims made on grounds of sexual identity are accurately recorded, as recommended by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, John Vine, in his investigation into the Home Office’s handling of asylum claims made on the grounds of sexual orientation, published in October 2014; and when such data will be released.

Lord Bates: Information on the basis of an asylum claim is not usually recorded but the Home Office has made arrangements to record this data for cases made on the basis of sexuality on our Case Information Database. This process still requires significant further development. Once we are satisfied with the quality of the data we will be in a position to release this.

Asylum: LGBT People

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people detained in immigration detention centres are pursuing asylum claims based upon their sexual identity; and how many such claims were (1) granted, (2) refused, and (3) overturned on appeal, in each of the last five years.

Lord Bates: Information on the basis of an asylum claim is not usually recorded, but the Home Office has made arrangements to record this data for cases made on the basis of sexuality on our Case Information Database. This process still requires significant further development: once we are satisfied with the quality of the data we will be in a position to release this, however we will be unable to release the data retrospectively.

Asylum: LGBT People

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps will be taken to tackle bullying, harassment and abuse of LGBTI people in immigration detention centres, including Harmondsworth and Yarl’s Wood, in the light of the recent Inquiry into the Use of Immigration Detention in the United Kingdom by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration, and concerns expressed by the UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group.

Lord Bates: We take the welfare of our detainees very seriously and no form of ill-treatment or discrimination is tolerated. All immigration removal centres have anti-bullying strategies in place. Every detainee receives an individual risk assessment at the point of initial detention which is repeated when the detainee enters the immigration removal centre. The risk assessment is kept under review. On 9 February 2015 the Home Secretary announced an independent review of welfare in detention, led by Stephen Shaw CBE, which will focus on vulnerable detainees. The review is expected to report in 6 months.

Eurostar

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 16 March (HL5635), whether their support for Eurostar's plans for new services means that the concerns of the Border Agency have been resolved without requiring passengers to change trains en route.

Lord Bates: The UK Border Agency was abolished in March 2013. The Government is supportive of Eurostar’s plans for new services between Southern France and London commencing in May 2015 and between Amsterdam and London from December 2016.The operating model for these new Eurostar services makes provision for a stop at Lille or Brussels to allow for physical security, Schengen exit and UK entry checks to be completed. This was a commercial decision made by Eurostar which is satisfactory in terms of UK border control requirements.

Asylum: LGBT People

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps will be taken to implement the Supreme Court’s recent judgment in R (JB (Jamaica)) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2015] UKSC 8; and whether they intend to carry out a fundamental review of those countries designated under section 94(5) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, in the light of discrimination and violence experienced by LGBTI people in certain countries.

Lord Bates: The Government is considering the full implications of the judgment. Any proposals for changes to the designation of countries must be made by order, and will be put to Parliament. We will continue to consider each asylum and human rights claim on its own merits.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Fracking

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the advance payment of £100,000 to local communities for every site fracked during exploratory fracking is voluntary or whether it is a condition of a licence being granted.

Baroness Verma: The shale gas industry has made a commitment to the Community Engagement Charter, co-ordinated by its representative body UK Onshore Oil and Gas, which includes a commitment to provide benefits to local communities at the exploration/appraisal stage of a minimum £100,000 per well site where hydraulic fracturing takes place.The Infrastructure Act 2015 introduced a range of further requirements that must be met before an operator can carry out hydraulic fracturing. Once these provisions come into force, the Government will not issue a hydraulic fracturing consent unless satisfied that a scheme is in place to provide financial or other benefit for the local area.A Sovereign Wealth Fund would ensure that revenues from shale gas and oil are put to good use. Proposals will be brought forward in the next Parliament.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the locations of sea-based wind turbines in the United Kingdom; and how many turbines there are at each location.

Baroness Verma: The UK currently has 1,183 turbines (4,043MW) at fully operational offshore windfarms with an additional 284 turbines (1,063MW) at sites that are currently under construction. These turbines are located off the coast of:  Fully OperationalUnder ConstructionSouth West Scotland601North West England 187-North Wales55160South East England13015Thames Estuary315-East England80-East Midlands217-North East England137-North East Scotland2-Yorkshire and Humber0108

Energy Community

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Verma on 18 March (HL5568 to HL5572), whether, in view of the Energy Community's aims in respect of enhancing security of supply, attracting investment in power generation and networks, and reducing dependence upon Russian supplies of gas, they consider that the United Kingdom should increase the level of its participation in the various institutions of the Energy Community as it is entitled to do as a participant; and at which meetings the views of the United Kingdom on the issues to be considered by the various institutions and groups of the Energy Community are discussed within the European Union to ensure that the United Kingdom's position is reflected by the European Union representatives at the meetings at which the United Kingdom does not participate.

Baroness Verma: The UK agrees that the Energy Community has an important role to play in the energy security of the EU and neighbouring countries and that the Energy Community has been an effective vehicle for encouraging countries in the EU near neighbourhood to align themselves with the EU energy networks.The UK ensures that it takes all opportunities to influence the direction of EU policy towards the Energy Community. This is normally achieved through contributions to discussions at official-level meetings in Brussels, where the EU’s policy towards the Energy Community is agreed.

Cabinet Office

Honours

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to strip honours received from individuals who are implicated in the recent child exploitation cases.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: It is possible to rescind an honour on the advice of the Forfeiture Committee and with the approval of the Sovereign. Forfeiture may be considered for holders of awards in civilian or military Orders of Knighthood and for those appointed Knight Bachelor. We cannot comment on whether or not specific cases are being considered for forfeiture. There is no posthumous forfeiture of honours.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Olympic Games: Brazil

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are on target to meet the aspirations of UK Sport and the British Olympic Association for Team GB to be the first team from a host Olympic country to improve its performance at a subsequent Olympic Games; and whether they will publish the current median aspirations and expectations for Rio de Janeiro 2016 on a sport-by-sport basis.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: UK Sport believe their ambition is attainable for Team GB to win more Olympic and Paralympic medals at Rio 2016 than at London 2012. Sports have identified athletes with the capability to win medals and UK Sport is providing the necessary financial and technical support.UK Sport are implementing well-planned strategies to maximise the possibility of achieving more medals in Rio in 2016 in conjunction with the National Governing Bodies of Sport and system partners including the British Olympic and Paralympic Associations . UK Sport are closely monitoring the progress of all sports and their current insights suggest that the aspirational goal remains possible with progress towards the Paralympic aspiration being particularly encouraging. ​UK Sport will formally announce Olympic and Paralympic medal targets in the weeks prior to the Games in Rio.

Sports: Finance

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial support Olympic and Paralympic sports received from lottery funding and the public from the years 2010 to 2014, and what are the budgeted figures for 2015 and 2016.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: UK Sport are investing the following for Summer and Winter Olympic and Paralympic sports:2010-11: £81m 2011-12: £84.2m 2012-13: £83.7m 2013-14: £87.7mBudgeted figures2014-15: £94.1m 2015-16: £99.9m Sport England’s investment in Olympic and Paralympic sports including golf, rugby union and snowsport: 2010-11: £79.1m 2011-12: £71.6m 2012-13: £73.6m 2013-14: £76.6m2014-15: £75.4m Budgeted figures 2015-16: £63.5m

Sports: Disability

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether London 2012 led to increased sponsorship investment and media profile for disability sport in 2013 and 2014; and whether projections for 2015 forecast a further increase in sponsorship for British Paralympic sport.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: DCMS does not hold information on sponsorship investment and media profile for disability sport, but remain committed to delivering a lasting legacy for disability sport. 42 of the National Governing Bodies of Sport which Sport England invests in have specific targets for increasing the number of disabled people who play their sport and Sport England is investing over £170m to get more disabled people playing sport. 1.58 million disabled people aged 16 and over ​now ​take part in sport once a week, an increase of 263,900 more disabled people playing sport since we won the bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games​.

Sports: Finance

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in which Olympic and Paralympic sports there has been a reduction in real terms in funding support from UK Sport since 2012.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: UK Sport makes funding awards on a four year cycle in line with the Olympic and Paralympic calendars, and is currently supporting 46 Summer & Winter Olympic and Paralympic sports. These four year awards are reviewed each year through the Annual Investment Review process which measures sports against an agreed set of annual targets. The 18 sports which have seen a reduction in funding since 2012 are:ArcheryBadmintonBasketballGoalballHandballJudoPowerliftingSwimmingSynchronised SwimmingTable TennisVisually Impaired FootballVolleyball (indoor, sitting and beach)Water poloWheelchair fencingWheelchair basketballWrestling

Olympic Games: Brazil

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have been involved in discussions to field a women's football team at the 2016 Olympic Games; and whether they have the support of the British Olympic Association to field a women's football team.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The fielding of GB football teams at future Olympic Games is a matter for the national football authorities and the British Olympic Association.

Department of Health

Ebola

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the containment of the ebola epidemic in West Africa, they intend to review the ebola screening arrangements at Heathrow.

Earl Howe: Screening arrangements at London Heathrow and the other ports remain under constant review.

Heathrow Airport

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the results of their consultation with Public Health England on how the refurbishment plans for short-term holding facilities at Heathrow might be delivered.

Earl Howe: Public Health England (PHE) and the Border Force have agreed arrangements to release accommodation space at London Heathrow in order to provide temporary holding room space for Border Force. These changes do not compromise current screening operations which continue to be delivered through close and effective working between PHE, Border Force and Heathrow Airport Limited.

Cancer

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the level of non-medical support available to cancer patients; and what steps they are taking to increase such levels.

Earl Howe: The national report of NHS England’s 2014 Cancer Patient Experience Survey showed that of those patients who said they needed it:   - 59% said they were definitely given enough care and help from health or social services after leaving hospital; - 23% said they were to some extent; and - 18% said they did not get enough care and help.   We know that the number of cancer survivors continues to grow – there are currently around two million people living in the United Kingdom with a cancer diagnosis, and this is projected to increase to four million by 2030.   There are a number of pieces of work set up to address the needs of people living with and beyond cancer. Macmillan Cancer Support published the first stage of its Routes from Diagnosis work in April 2014, developed in conjunction with Public Health England and Monitor Deloitte. A copy of this report has been placed in the Library.   The National Cancer Survivorship Initiative, a multi-agency public sector/third sector partnership, produced a considerable body of evidence and resources for best practice to support the identified needs for people living with and beyond cancer. These were published in March 2013 in the report Living With and Beyond Cancer – Taking Actions to Improve Outcomes. A copy of this report has been placed in the Library.   NHS England is now delivering a programme of work in collaboration with Macmillan Cancer Support to incorporate a number of these actions into mainstream commissioning and service provision. This work is formally supported by reference to the Cancer Recovery Package in the recently published Five Year Forward View, which aims to ensure care is coordinated between primary and secondary care so that patients are assessed and care planned appropriately. Living with and beyond cancer is also a key theme for the new independent Cancer Taskforce, which will produce a new cancer strategy in summer 2015.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Earl Howe on 24 February (HL Deb, col 1622) and the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 9 March (HL5132), for how many years the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has been advising them on the drafting of regulations for proposed interventions for mitochondrial disease; what are the reasons for the current delay in the HFEA announcing its proposals for the regulation, monitoring and reporting of mitochondrial donation treatment cycles; whether it is still their view that "further delay would not be doing the right the thing for families who desperately want to have the choice to access these new techniques"; if so, how delays due to the HFEA have already been explained to such families; and whether they will be able to announce publication of the HFEA’s proposals for regulation, monitoring and reporting in advance of the next General Election.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is the United Kingdom’s national regulator and will apply the mitochondrial donation regulations in practice. It is therefore entirely appropriate, and indeed essential, that the HFEA was consulted on the wording of the draft regulations to ensure that they will work in regulatory practice. The HFEA was consulted on the draft regulations that were published for public consultation in February 2014 and on the revised regulations that took account of the comment received in that consultation that were debated in both Houses of Parliament.   The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Mitochondrial Donation) Regulations 2015 were approved by the House of Commons on 3 February 2015 and by the House of Lords on 24 February 2015. They come in to force on 29 October 2015. It would have been inappropriate for the HFEA to finalise its proposals for the regulation, monitoring and reporting of mitochondrial donation treatment cycles in advance of Parliament’s decision.   Outline plans of the HFEA’s proposals in this area were discussed at the Authority’s 11 March 2015 meeting, which was open to the public to observe. The HFEA has advised that there is no delay. The minutes will be available on the HFEA website in due course.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent Council Directive 93/42 EEC of 14 June 1993 concerning medical devices and Directive 98/79 EEC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 October 1998 on in vitro diagnostic medical devices applies to items such as IVF laboratory equipment or reagents where there is no intention to place such items on the market; how it is possible for a fertility clinic to obtain CE marking for items that they do not intend to place on the market for the purposes of HFEA licence condition T30; and what consideration is given to the quality, safety and efficacy of in-house products that conform to the highest clinical standards and which demonstrably exceed those of marketed equivalents.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has informed us that it has been advised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) that medical devices manufactured and used within the same healthcare institution without having been transferred to a different legal entity do not come within the scope of the Medical Devices Directives referred to, and do not therefore need to be CE marked.   I have nothing further to add to my previous answer of 20 February 2015, HL4711, regarding HFEA licencing conditions and guidance in relation to the use of CE marked and non-CE marked products.

Embryos

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Earl Howe on 24 November 2010 (WS 101–2) and the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 10 March (HL5228), what are the reasons provided by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to account for changes in data over time; whether this primarily reflects epistemological deficiencies, and if so why responsibility for inaccuracy does not therefore arise; and if not, what is the ontological explanation for how information can change over time so as to require reconciliation or correction whilst still remaining correct at the time.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the changes to data over time are small, reflecting the dynamic nature of the Register, that includes the notification of changes received from clinics and research centres, as well as reconciliation work undertaken by the HFEA’s register team.